Frequently Asked Questions about Anesthesia >>

What is anesthesia?

Anesthesia is medication to keep you free of pain during surgery. Fear and anxiety can also be alleviated by these medications. Anesthesia can cause you to lose feeling or sensation during the operation with or without loss of consciousness.

What types of anesthesia are there?

• Local anesthesia: while you remain awake, the part of your body to be operated upon is numbed. This is achieved by injecting numbing medication directly into the area to be treated. You may or may not be given a sedative.
• In conjunction with a local anesthetic, you may be given pain medication and/or a sedative, to keep you comfortable during the procedure. Patients generally recover quickly from this type of anesthesia.
• Regional anesthesia: while you remain awake, the area of your body affected by the surgery is numbed. Regional anesthetics, such as spinal, epidural or caudal, are most commonly used in obstetrics and surgical procedures of the lower abdomen, pelvis and lower extremities. Nerve blocks are a type of regional anesthesia commonly used to numb a single extremity such as one arm or one leg.
• General anesthesia: you will go to sleep, and feel no pain with an intravenous injection of medications and by inhaling anesthetic gases. To help you breathe during the procedure, a breathing tube may be placed after you are asleep and removed before you awake.

What type of anesthesia will I have?

You may be given either local, regional, general anesthesia or a combination of one or more types of anesthesia. Your surgeon and your anesthesiologist will discuss this with you.

What are common side effects?

Sometimes, patients experience mild nausea or vomiting for a day or two after surgery. It is more likely to occur if you have a history of nausea and vomiting after surgery, if you are susceptible to motion sickness, or with laparoscopic procedures. Depending upon the type of anesthesia you receive, you may experience a sore throat, headache, drowsiness, muscle ache and/or fatigue for a few days after your procedure.

Who will administer my anesthesia?

An anesthesiologist or certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), under the direction of an anesthesiologist, will administer anesthesia during your procedure. If you are concerned about who will be giving you anesthesia, you should discuss this during your pre-operative interview with the anesthesiologist or with your surgeon. You will have an opportunity to speak with an anesthesiologist the morning of your surgery.